Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
An effective way to treat cardiac arrest may be with a defibrillator. A defibrillator is a medical device that delivers an electric current, or “shock” to the chest of a cardiac arrest victim, which delivers that electric current to the victim's heart. The shock can interrupt the erratic electrical pulse of ventricular fibrillation of the heart during the cardiac arrest, which can give the victim's heart a chance to begin beating at its normal rhythm.
During the first 10 minutes after a person suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute saved before defibrillation may mean about a 10 percent increase in relative survival rate. Therefore, as time is critical, there has been an increase in the availability of automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. AEDs are portable medical devices designed primarily for use by “first responders” (first to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency), such as police and fire departments. An AED generally has a built-in computer that evaluates a victim's heat rhythm to determine whether a shock is required. AEDs are also relatively easy to use as they typically include voice instructions and screen messages to assist in its operation, and thus, can be used by an average citizen with little or no training.
As the AEDs have become more simple to use, they are being installed in a variety of public and private settings, including but not limited to, schools, sports facilities, transportation hubs, office buildings, elder care facilities, government buildings, and the like.